A document billed as the most fundamental set of reforms of the political system since the formation of the State - proposing radical overhaul of the Oireachtas and the judicial system - was published by Fine Gael yesterday.
The document, A Democratic Revolution, proposes almost doubling the sitting hours of the Dail and its committees; reducing the number of committees by a third; cutting the number of TDs by 23; significantly boosting the powers of the Ceann Comhairle; setting up a dedicated Oireachtas TV channel and establishing a board to monitor the justice system.
The leader of Fine Gael, Mr John Bruton, said public disillusionment with the political system meant such radical proposals were necessary. Recent tribunals and scandals had led to a crisis of confidence in the State, he said. It was the most important document produced by his party since The Just Society, produced by Mr Declan Costello in 1965, he added.
If elected, Fine Gael would begin the overhaul of the institutions of the State immediately at a cost of £10 million. Once implemented, it would have the effect of making the Dail, whose role has been seriously eroded, relevant once again, he predicted.
"The body politic has sunk to a new, and dangerous, low in public esteem. The rot has spread to the departments of State, the courts and legal system and other arms of State."
The proposals meant the Taoiseach would come into the Dail chamber not knowing what questions he was going to be asked, similar to question time in the House of Commons, and would have to answer any question put to him on current issues of the day. The Ceann Comhairle would take much more of a Speaker role with accompanying powers. Deputies would have to be present in the Dail chamber.
"We want the Dail to be a much more lively place, full of deputies sitting on the edge of their seats waiting to ask questions and not have the boring spectacle of people reading from scripts, with nobody in there listening to them, and nobody in the press gallery . . . That's all going to end," said Mr Bruton.
The Ceann Comhairle would have a very active role in ensuring questions were answered and answered accurately and nobody got away with not answering. He said mediocrity would be "exposed and removed". The document proposes fuller accountability; that all questions are answered either in the Dail or at committee level, that deputies may pursue a line of inquiry uninterrupted and they must be present in the chamber for their questions to be dealt with.
Mr Jim Mitchell, who co-authored the document with Mr Bruton in consultation with the parliamentary party, said the Dail elected the government and voted it money, but after that it had "utterly failed". It had also failed in not rigorously checking legislation before it was enacted. Over the years, he said, things had changed for the worse, making it more convenient for the party whips, deputies and the government. Duty was being progressively abandoned and convenience becoming the order of the day.
Addressing the fallout from the Sheedy case, the document stated that recent events had highlighted the urgent need to put a law in place to govern the procedures in relation to the impeachment process. It proposes a ban on party funding from outside Ireland, which would most directly affect Fianna Fail and Sinn Fein.
On tribunals of inquiry, Mr Mitchell said almost every tribunal established had at its root "a failure of politics or a failure of the Dail". A review of legislation covering tribunals would be undertaken and ensure no inquiry would be presided over by just one person, and in the case of a lengthy tribunal - such as the Flood tribunal which is running for three years - provide for regular interim reports.
According to the document, judges should be independent in the discharge of their duties, but there was confusion between independence and non-accountability. It proposes the establishment of a judicial board consisting of the Chief Justice and the presidents of the High, Circuit and District courts, and an enhanced role for these people in respect of general standards of performance and behaviour by judges.
Mr Bruton said Fine Gael would implement some of these proposals within the first two months of being in government, such as the new Dail committee system, new powers for those committees and changes in Dail standing orders. He said it would be a "priority of our legislative programme" to introduce the statutes of the Oireachtas and parliament within three months.
Asked where these proposals would stand if Fine Gael was to enter coalition after the next election, Mr Bruton said he felt they would not present a problem to other parties. "The crisis of confidence in politics is such that it requires a radical response. I would be placing very great emphasis in any negotiations in having this implemented in as far as possible to 100 per cent."